JEANNE TEACHES DANCE

Looking for that last minute gift for your favorite dancer?  Here are some fun ideas. Yumiko Customizable Dancewear Design your own dancewear--make truly unique pieces that suit your needs and fancy!  Wonderful fabrics, styles and color options. http://global.yumiko-online.com/en/ Foot Rubz Foot Massaging Ball I have given these as holiday gifts to so many friends, and wouldn't be caught in the studio without one for myself.  This wonderous, and simple object has relieved so much tension, and given my feet so much relief over the years! www.discountdance.com Bloch Ladies Zenith Split Sole Ballet Slipper S0282L These stretchy canvas ballet slippers hug the foot to show off a dancer's foot articulation.  Bonus: they come pre-sewn, so they're ready to go out of the box. www.blochworld.com Gaynor Minden Pompon Legwarmers Keep those ankles warm with holiday flair and beautiful detailing! www.discountdance.com Gaiam 13" Grid Fo...

Written by Melanie Doskocil, original post found at her blog, Ballet Pages Well said--I had to share. 1. Dance is hard. – No dancer ever became successful riding on their natural born talents only. Dancers are artists and athletes. The world of dance today is akin to an extreme sport. Natural ability and talent will only get us so far. Dancers must work hard and persevere. Dancers give years of their lives plus their sweat, tears and sometimes blood to have the honor and pleasure of performing on stage 2. You won’t always get what you want. – We don’t always get the role we wanted, go on pointe when we want, get the job we want, hear the compliments we want, make the money we want, see companies run the way we want, etc, etc. This teaches us humility and respect for the process, the art form and the masters we have chosen to teach us. The faster we accept this, the faster we can get on with being brilliant. We’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but we can always be 100% sure doi...

Good Overall Reading Gail Grant's  Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet Understanding the names of ballet steps is often a huge benefit to understanding the intention behind the movement (or lack of movement).  Simple definitions that most ages will appreciate. George Balanchine's  101 Stories of the Great Ballets Written by the creator of The New York City Ballet himself, Balanchine has expertly narrated the plots of Ballet's past and present.  A great companion to use in choosing a ballet to go see, or to use in preparation to see a classical story ballet. For Kids (Young and Old) Violette Verdy's  Of Swans, Sugarplums and Satin Slippers Written by Balanchine Ballerina Violette Verdy, this book very nicely tells the stories of some of the major ballets;  Swan Lake ,  Giselle ,  The Firebird ,  Coppelia ,  The Sleeping Beauty , and  The Nutcracker .  The storybook format is perfect for ...

Being featured as a Soloist or Principal Dancer is a great honor and privilege and the experience carries with it a mark of accomplishment both technically and artistically.  On the other end of the artistic spectrum of a ballet company, however, is the army of dancers which make up the Corps de Ballet --the backbone of a ballet.  While often overlooked, The Corps possesses the ability to make or break a ballet.  When their work is done right, you know it instantly--suddenly thirty ballerinas are moving, breathing, acting as one--and it is truly an experience to behold.  The magic isn't only felt by the audience, who has the advantage of seeing the patterns from above, as illustrated wonderfully in this excerpt from The Paris Opera Ballet's Swan Lake, the transcendent rush you experience by fusing your dance with fellow human beings is unlike much else in this world.  You have a responsibility--to them, to the audience, to yourself.  As a student, I re...

Over the course of their professional career, Santiago Croce and his partner, Amy Lincoln have been invited to be part of the most important and acclaimed International Tango Festivals sharing the cast with most prestigious masters of tango. They've been in several cities worldwide always conveying the essence of tango and its traditions focusing on it customs and way of dancing like in Buenos Aires. Santiago and Amy have become famous in the States very quickly because of their reputation and teaching skills for sharing the authenticity of Argentine Tango in it pure form. Winners of the Tango Salon championship of 2010 in Buenos Aires, they've also performed and given classes in the most prestigious salons of Buenos Aires such as Salon Canning, Grisel Club, Club Sunderland, Sin Rumbo, Glorias Argentinas to name some of them. Also they have taught at the renowned Carlos Copello School of Tango. Guardians of the old school of tango, they focus their dance on the subtleties...

THE WIZARD OF OZ   Join Dorothy, Toto, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion as they band together on an adventure along the Yellow Brick Road to Oz and face the wrath of the Wicked Witch. The production will be true to the movie that has enchanted fans of all ages for decades. Featuring the songs "We're Off to See the Wizard," "Over the Rainbow" and "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." Performance times listed above in black font have the best seating availability Price Range: $30 - $74 Children's Tickets: $30 tickets in any section for ages 4-12 CALL ONLINE IN PERSON (916) 557-1999    Tickets.com (Online fees apply) Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office ALSO AVAILABLE: Student Rush Discount 5-Show Season Subscriptions Discounts for Groups of 12 or more Seating Chart Content Guide Recommended for ages 4 and over. Click for more information Run Time The Wizard of Oz  runs 2 hours and 15 minutes, which includes a 20 minute intermissi...

Pointe shoes—those tiny, shiny, glorified piñatas, which today, make it possible for ballerinas to dance complete, three-act ballets on their pointes .   They can be expected to last anywhere from 3 months to 3 hours, depending on the demand placed on them.   For a dancer in a professional company, they are considered work supplies, and the cost is put on the company she/he dances for.   In the case of students, the cost of these educational tools, which can run between $40-$85 a pair, is often on the parents or the student themselves to cover.   The more the student is dancing, the quicker this pointe shoe budget adds up.   Why do the shoes break down so fast?   The answer is simple:   most pointe shoes are made from natural materials (leather, cardboard, burlap, layers of paper, glue, and satin).   These materials create a supportive structure that is also pliable enough to move with the dancers feet.   As the dancer’s feet bend a...

For more information, click to see the Facebook Event Looking forward to seeing you on the dance floor!

May I Have This Dance?  Alexander Mark Rossi (FL. 1870-1903) My Father has a saying: "if you don't ask for it, the answer is automatically 'no,'" meaning, that if you don't gather your courage to ask for something that you feel is beyond your reach, you may be passing up a prime opportunity to get it, regardless.  Over the years, I have benefitted greatly by utilizing this notion, even conservatively.  The lesson that should be taught in tandem with this idea, however, is that you are not, in return, entitled to a "yes," just because you asked. I used to think that the key to success lay within the abundance of "yeses" one could distribute and follow through on.  I would go out of my way, bend over backwards, to accommodate the fulfillment of the requests of others.  Surely these favors would come back to me tenfold, no?  I took on projects, classes, performances, dances with with people I just didn't feel like dancing with, all w...

Curiouser and curiouser... I stand very firmly behind the notion that the day you stop learning, is the day you stop living.  As a dance teacher, one gains an incredible amount of knowledge not only from the experience of explaining and demonstrating concepts, but also directly from the mouths and movements of the students you teach.  As the French moralist Joseph Joubert put it: "To teach is to learn twice."  Teaching anything full-time, however fulfilling, can often leave you with little time to pursue your own learning and improvement outside your own classroom.    This past week I was fortunate to break that cycle of "blah" for myself and I must admit that I am still riding the wave of elation brought on by pedagogical stimulation that ensued.  I was able to immerse myself in three days of study last week with the same visiting instructor--a dancer whom I respect and who is relentless in challenging me to be a better dancer.  For me, th...

Dixon Dance Students: Tuesday, 3/19 - Pointe I (6:15pm-7:00pm) is CANCELLED this week. Make-up Pointe Class (Levels I & II) will be held on: Saturday, March 23rd from 10:00am-11:00am. Adult Ballet Students: Tuesday, 3/19 - Adult Intermediate Ballet - Abelardo Cisneros Subbing I have had the pleasure of knowing Abelardo since I was about ten years old.  I am pleased that our professional paths continue to cross, and I hope you will enjoy having him as a substitute! ABELARDO CISNEROS began his training at Taller de Danza Clasica and Taller Coreografico de la Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Mexico. He continued his training  as a scholarship student at the prestigious Stanley Holden Dance Center in Los Angeles and The David Howard Dance Center in New York City, studying  under the likes of David Howard, Stanley Holden, Victoria Koenig, Regina Larkin, Patricia Neary, Nader Hamed, and Stefan Wenta. Mr. Cisneros ‘ professional credits include the Saint Loui...

Starting this month, both Beginning Adult Ballet and Intermediate Adult Ballet  will be held at: Step 1 Dance & Fitness 1920 T Street, Sacramento, CA 95811  Directions REGISTER ONLINE - click HERE PURCHASE CLASSES NOW with Paypal Beg. Ballet (4 Classes) $56.00 USD Int. Ballet (4 Classes) $56.00 USD Single Drop-in Class $16.00 USD Looking forward to seeing you all!

Beginning Adult Classes with Jeanne have finally begun for 2013!  We have moved to a new location for Monday nights (Tuesday Intermediate Teen/Adult Ballet will remain at Sacramento Academy of Dance).  Here's all the info you need to know, including where to pick up a pair of ballet slippers: February Beginning Adult Ballet Mondays 7:00pm-8:00pm Step 1 Dance & Fitness: 1920 T Street, Sacramento, CA 95811 $42 for 3 Weeks/$16 for Single Class If you've never had ballet before or want to work on your basics in a fun, casual environment, this class is for you! No leotard, tights (or tutu) required.  Please wear comfortable clothes that allow you to see your own body line (think yoga class). Click HERE to be linked to Facebook event. Dancewear Retailers: Capezio Dance Theatre Shop, Sacramento 3839 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 452-2255 http://www.capeziosacramento.com/ Discount Dance Supply http://www.discountdance.com/ Payless Shoesource h...

Sacramento Ballet.  Photo by Mark Zablotzky. From The New York City Ballet: Serenade  is a milestone in the history of dance. It is the first original ballet George Balanchine created in America and is one of the signature works of New York City Ballet’s repertory. Balanchine began the ballet as a lesson in stage technique and worked unexpected rehearsal events into the choreography. A student’s fall or late arrival to rehearsal became part of the ballet. After its initial presentation,  Serenade  was reworked several times. In its present form there are four movements—“Sonatina,” “Waltz,” “Russian Dance,” and “Elegy.” The last two movements reverse the order of Tschaikovsky’s score, ending the ballet on a note of sadness. Balanchine had a special affinity for Tschaikovsky. “In everything that I did to Tschaikovsky’s music,” he told an interviewer, “I sensed his help. It wasn’t real conversation. But when I was working and saw that something was coming of it,...